How to be a Compassionate Job Seeker

6 ways you can aid other job seekers

Share job leads that you're aware of. If you have no takers, send them to me and I'll pass them on. Vivien from inspirationbit also suggests posting them directly into the Employment section of any forums you may be following.

If you're active on job forums or following blogs like JobMob, respond to comments with website suggestions and other tips. Thanks again to Vivien for this tip also.

If asked, give honest feedback about your own job search such as which companies received you well, which to avoid, etc.

When you network, spend less time asking for help and more time proposing to help. People are more likely to respond. Companies too, if you have services to offer.

Compliments are free. Give out many – only if sincere – to other job seekers or anyone else in a lull where compliments come few and far between. Show appreciation to the woman cleaning your building or the man cleaning the street. If a company rejects your application but does it promptly, thank them for being upfront with you.

Be a resume checker. People spend so much time staring at their resumes that they often overlook basic additions or mistakes. Your second look can do wonders. Thanks to Andrew from greatmanagement.org for this one.

sending job offers to people who you know are looking for jobs is a very nice and helpful thing to do. One day things may turn around the other way and then those people who were getting those job forwards from you may help you in the job search.
I’m also pretty active on one of the local forums and often help newcomers or regulars who are job hunting with jobsite suggestions and other tips. And whenever I hear of a job offer that I’m not interested in, or do not need at the time, I post it in the Employment section of the forum.

You’re most welcome, Jacob. Thanks for the tag and the link. Good luck to all job seekers out there, never give up your hopes, you never know – the day you land that perfect job may come sooner than you think.

Give them dignity by not talking down to them, listening (really listening), avoiding cliches, stretching their thinking to what they’d most like to do (keep their sites on the dream).

I love the idea of taking them to lunch. In my experience when unemployed and my experienced WITH the longterm unemployed, activity (getting busy) prevents depression and raises motivational energy levels.

[…] Share, Israel’s most popular job/career blogger, had a good post a few weeks back about showing compassion to job seekers. I’ve talked about this a number of times, in the depression post and the […]

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